Mosaic
by NanbeiNoHana
Summary: If you put together tiny bits of their lives, you'll get a nice mosaic of possibilities. NejiSaku 100 themes.
1. Winged

**A/N:** I'm taking a quick break from writing Somebody To Love's and Polyhedron's next chapters. So, I decided to start my own 100-themes fic! I know it's not a new idea, but I like drabbling for a change. I took these 100 themes from a Kingdom Hearts' challenge I found on Google. I'm using a d-100 to help me choose which theme I'll write about, but I'm planning on writing them all!

I think the chapters are related to each other (much like Lady Silvamord's Affaire de Coeur), but I might change my mind. However, they definitely don't follow a progressive timeline.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Naruto, I would be travelling all around the world with the money I made instead of writing fics at home.

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**#82 – Winged**

It was a time of peace. Surely, they still had missions, but in five months there was no sign of war or great menaces. Some of the most bloodthirsty shinobi were getting bored, and started bugging Tsunade claiming for some action. The Hokage decided to make something to distract everyone, and Ino suggested they should host a huge costume ball.

And that's why Neji was there, in a very ridiculous costume, surrounded by a killer aura, sitting in a secluded corner. Being the wicked woman she was, Tsunade chose everyone's costumes, and threatened them with guard duty if they didn't attend the ball. He was ok with that, until he found out what his costume would be. Or should I say, 'bee'? Yes. He was dressed in a bee costume, all black and yellow striped, with membranous wings on his back. And even with a pot of honey in his hands! At least he wasn't the most ridiculous person in the ball. Kakashi had a sheep costume, Tenten wore a banana tree one, and Sasuke was dressed like a housemaid.

"This costume looks cute on you, Neji-san!" he heard a happy, girly voice, and turned his head to see who the one crazy enough to approach him and make such comment was. There, clad in a very tight black outfit, with antennae on her pink head, carrying a set of four black, yellow and orange wings, stood Sakura. "It would look better on me, though, but the monarch butterfly would butcher your pride."

"I beg your pardon?" he said, while she sat on a stool in front of him. It was uncomfortable, but she wanted to leave her delicate wings intact.

"Well, shishou decided you would wear the monarch butterfly costume and I would wear the bee one, but I volunteered to switch my costume with yours."

He briefly imagined himself dressed in that skin-tight black outfit, with butterfly wings on his back. Yeah, the bee costume was less bad than that. "Thanks, I guess. But why did you do it?"

"I'm glad you asked, Neji-san" her devilish smile made him regret asking. "Of course I wouldn't let go of my costume for nothing."

"And what do you want, woman?" he said, preparing himself for any kind of weird request she would have.

"Oh, nothing much. You'll only have to be my dance partner the whole night."

"I WHAT?"

"You heard me, _Hyuuga-sama_. Let's make the winged-bugs-dance!"

"You have some serious mental problems, you know" Neji grunted while Sakura dragged him by the hand, heading to the crowded dance floor.


	2. Knots

**#25 – Knots**

"What the hell do you think you're doing, woman?" Neji's voice filled the room. "Put that comb down, NOW!"

"No, I'm not putting it down, and you have no right to tell me to, Hyuuga." Sakura replied as her eyes narrowed at the stubborn man in front of her.

"You are so not touching my hair."

"Oh? I wasn't the one who lost the bet. Now just shut up and admit your loss."

The white-eyed man growled. She was right; he had lost a bet, and because of that he would have to accept all her treatments without complaining until he was released from the hospital. This, in his current condition, could take more than a month to happen. He knew he should have never made a bet with the Haruno girl. But the terms of the bet were so tempting – if he won, she would never bother him again with her medical orders – and he would never think that Sakura would beat him in a go game.

"Argh, Neji! Your hair is all tangled. I knew it couldn't be as flawless as it looks."

Huh? So he had already started combing his hair? How come did he not notice it? With those hands as delicate as an elephant's paws she had, he was sure she would rip his precious coffee-brown strands from his scalpel. But, he admitted to himself, the feeling was good. Until…

"Ouch! Be careful, Sakura! It's not my fault you're an ogre. Don't punish my hair for that."

"What you want me to do? There's only other way to untie these knots. Perhaps we should try it?"

"Will it hurt?" he asked with a slight glint of hope in his voice.

"Not a single bit. And it'll be faster, too." Sakura let go of his hair and walked to the other side of the hospital room. She searched some drawers, until she found what she was looking for. "Here, Neji-san, let's get your hair rid of all the knots!"

Blood rushed away from his face. She was holding… a scissor. "W-w-what is that for?" he faintly asked, panic growing at the psycho look in her face.

"It'll make your hair look better. Trust me, I did it myself once and it doesn't hurt."

He remembered that. If she had no mercy in cutting her own hair, he was in danger.

"Ok, now sit still so I can cut it right."

Without a word, Neji rose from his bed, carefully took the scissor from her, and placed the comb in her hand.


	3. Owned!

**#41 – Owned!**

Ah, another day at the hospital! Sakura was happy because she loved her job. Contrary to popular belief, she didn't have to work 20 hours per day. The pink-haired medic had a normal schedule, and only sporadically she had to work more than 8 hours. Another common myth was that she was Konoha's top doctor. Ok, she was good, skilled and lucky to have perfect chakra control. However, she had so much to learn yet, from Tsunade, Shizune and the other doctors. Still, she was very nice to everyone – unless someone dared to disobey her medical orders. And it was something a few had the guts to do, namely Genma, Sasuke and Ino (but she did it for the sake of their mock-rivalry).

"Good morning, Neji-san! How was your sleep?" and there he was, one of her most obedient patients. Of course, she had to teach him obedience via chakra-enhanced fists, but Neji was a good student. Sakura made him understand that following her orders and accepting her treatment would make him leave the hospital sooner.

"Very good, thank you. I must tell you that I feel no pain at all, and my foot seems to move perfectly."

"Is that so? Ja, let me check it." She approached him and carefully put her hands over his right foot, sending a small wave of green chakra through his skin. "Oh… Sorry to say that, but there's a small injury left. I can't let you go today."

"Sakura, please! It doesn't hurt and I can stand perfectly. I know I have no oncoming missions, so I promise I'll take care of my foot – at home."

His eyes were so full of hope that she couldn't hold back a smile. "I know you will, but rules are rules. It would be an irresponsibility to discharge you before you're fully healed."

"I can prove you I'm fine." At his sentence, Sakura raised an incredulous eyebrow. "Let's fight; I'll win, and you'll let me go."

She thought for a second, tapping her chin with her index finger. "All right. You're such a good patient; I guess I can make an exception. But you'll have to sign a paper taking full responsibility."

"Deal. Shall we go?"

Neji wasn't lying. He could walk perfectly, as if he'd never been injured in the first place. But Sakura trusted her diagnosis, and she would do whatever it took to ensure her patients' safety and well-being. Once they reached the nearest training ground, they both got into their fighting stances. He quickly activated his Byakugan, but she was faster in disappearing. It would be a matter of seconds for him to find her…

…when he felt a sharp pain on his right foot. He knelt because of the pain and looked down; Sakura was getting out from underground, dusting off her clothes. Neji could already hear her 'I-told-you-so-I-was-right' speech. However, she merely looked at him with a serene face. She wasn't even smirking! But her eyes told him everything.

"I'll help you walk back to the hospital, Neji-san" Sakura hugged his waist and he used her shoulder to help carrying his weight.

Never again he insisted in being discharged earlier.

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**A/N:** How many clichés did I break with this fic? :-P


	4. Great

**A/N:** Just for the record, Neji is one year older than Sakura.

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**#35 – Great**

_Five years old_

Neji thought the Hyuuga compound was a great place to live.

Sakura thought any kind of ice-cream was great.

_Ten years old_

Neji found out that it was possible to survive with a great hatred towards the Main Family.

Sakura found out that a great friendship could be wasted for nothing.

_Fifteen years old_

Great was the feeling of accomplishment – he'd just become a jounin.

Great was the feeling of being useful – her medicine and her fighting skills saved the day more than once.

_Twenty years old_

It was great to be ANBU captain!

It was great to be the Medical Squad leader!

_Twenty-five years old_

Sakura was a great girlfriend.

Neji was a great husband.

_Thirty years old_

Neji gave Sakura a great present – a second honey moon in a desert paradisiacal beach.

Sakura gave Neji a great present – twin sons.

_Thirty-five years old_

His greatest fear was to die in battle and leave his family unattended.

Her greatest fear was to lose Neji or one of their four children.

_Forty years old_

He still had a great Byakugan range.

She still had a great butt.

_Forty-five years old_

Neji had one great challenge: keep the suitors away from his _baby_ daughters Hanako and Chiharu.

Sakura had one great challenge: make her husband see that the girls were actually grown-ups and very deadly.

_Fifty years old_

He was turning into a grumpy old man with a great bank account.

She was turning into a shopaholic old woman, spending her husband's great bank account.

_Fifty-five years old_

In his opinion, his grandchildren would be the greatest shinobi ever.

In her opinion, her grandchildren already were the greatest shinobi ever.

_Sixty years old_

He needed glasses with a great dioptre.

She needed glasses with a great dioptre.

_Sixty-five years old_

Neji had a great headache when he found out that his granddaughter Natsu was dating an Uchiha, of all people!

Sakura had a great headache when she found out that her husband was once again frightening the poor guys who dared to date his descendants.

_Seventy years old_

He looked back and saw that he had a great life with the great woman he loved more than anything in the world.

She looked at him and could still see the great romantic he'd always been.

_Seventy-five years old_

He had a great fight against the deadly German Alzheimer, and the damn bastard didn't seem to get weak.

She had a great fight against herself ("damn, why can't I be strong like Chiyo-baasama and give Neji a bit of my life energy?")

_Eighty years old_

His funeral was great.

Her funeral was greater, and she threw that in his face when they met on the afterlife.


	5. Hints

**#17 – Hints**

"Ne, Chouji, look at those two" Ino pointed her well-manicured finger at two people having lunch together.

"What do you mean, Ino?" the Akimichi man asked, while munching a handful of potato chips.

"What do you see?" she asked. He sighed, and looked at them.

"It's only Sakura and Neji eating side by side. No big deal." He shrugged and stuffed his mouth with more chips.

Ino rolled her eyes. "No big deal? Mou, Chouji, stop eating and pay attention to the world around you."

"No, _Nara-san_," he knew she hated being called that, and he did it on purpose, "it's you who should stop paying attention to other people's businesses and start eating. It's the Inuzukas who like bones, not the Naras."

"Oh, shut up. I have nothing to do with Shikamaru." He looked at her with disbelief, but she ignored it. "But don't change subject. Can't you see they're all lovey-dovey around each other?"

"Does it make any difference?"

"Of course it does! I mean, it's so outstandingly obvious. They are screaming their intentions right on each other's face!"

"And how do you know that?"

She grinned wickedly. "I thought you wouldn't ask! It's a matter of body language. For example, every time she talks to him, she plays with her hair. It's an act of seduction. And he always touches her arms and her waist, pretending to be playful but showing what he wants: close physical contact. Look now! He's tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. See how his fingers caress the skin of her cheek. And now she's wiping an inexistent bit of food from his mouth using the napkin. Really, it's beyond me how they are so oblivious to all those hints!"

But it was Ino who was oblivious to what was happening under the table. Sakura's left leg was over Neji's right one, and he gently stroked her thigh while she fed him a bit of her pasta carbonara.


	6. Woods

**#30 – Woods**

Neji and Sakura avoided the training grounds because they could be easily found there, and when people were looking for them it always meant work and problems. So, they liked to spar in the woods. Their sessions were harsh; none of them dared to go easy with the other. It would be the greatest offense ever. Because of that, they were frequently seen together, with tousled hair, torn clothes and flushed faces. And every time someone saw them like that, there would always be people asking improper questions.

"Are you two together?"

"No, Kiba, we were sparring."

"I can't believe it! You two were making out hidden in the woods! How could you not tell me, Forehead?"

"Shut up, Ino, we were only sparring."

And it kept happening for years and years.

One day, though, Sakura finally got the guts to do what she wanted to do for months. She pinned Neji to the ground and huskily whispered 'gotcha' on his ear. It was hard to tell who actually kissed the other first, but soon they were engaged in a fiery kiss. The sexual tension between them exploded and they just couldn't get away from each other's arms and lips and legs and bodies.

When they finally got out of the woods, with tousled hair, torn clothes and flushed faces, a loud voice reached their ears.

"Aha! A secret encounter deep in the woods! Do you think we wouldn't notice?" Naruto yelled; he was the one who most frequently teased them about their situation.

"Naruto…" Sakura hissed, clenching her fist and gathering chakra on it. But Neji was faster.

"Ok, you got us. We did spend the whole afternoon making passionate love as if there was no tomorrow."

Naruto's eyes were wide as saucers. But he soon started laughing.

"Ahahahahaha, you almost caught me! As if Sakura-chan would ever want anything with you, teme." He was still laughing as he left for Ichiraku to get some ramen.

Sakura and Neji looked at each other; she giggled, he chuckled.

"I can't believe that idiot will be our Hokage… Anyway, see you tomorrow for another, hmmm, sparring session?" he said charmingly.

"Hell yeah!" she smiled and winked at him, heading towards her house for a well-deserved steaming hot bath. He left, too, fully aware that he wouldn't be able to sleep that night.


	7. Voice

**#87 – Voice**

Neji looked suspiciously at the little device on his desk. Why in the world did they need cell phones for? Tsunade brought this new communication medium one year before, claiming that it would help people connect (A/N: sorry I couldn't resist). The Hyuuga prodigy saw no benefit from the possibility of being found – and bothered – wherever he could be. That's why he always left his cell phone at home. At the end of the day, he would check for missed calls and messages, but usually didn't return them. The moonlight coming through his window illuminated the phone, making it glow against the darkness of his room in an eerie kind of way. Almost as if saying that it was an accursed object, an opinion Neji shared.

He walked across his room and got the phone, seeing he had one voice message. His fingers casually pressed the right buttons, and he absently put the phone against his ear.

"_Hi, Neji-san! How are you doing? Listen, since we couldn't find you anywhere, Tsunade-shishou wanted me to tell you that you have a mission tomorrow afternoon with your ANBU squad. I can't tell the details over the phone, so will you please stop by shishou's office at 9 a.m.? It seems I'll have to reschedule your check-up… Ok then, see ya tomorrow! Sweet dreams!"_

That bubbly girly voice could only belong to one person. Neji laid down on his futon; pressing some buttons, he took a deep sigh and put the phone on his ear again.

"_Hi, Neji-san! How are you doing? Listen, since we…"_


	8. Hatred

**#04 – Hatred**

It wasn't a secret that Neji hated the Main Family because of what happened to the Branch Family members.

It wasn't actually a secret, but a few people knew that Sakura had a tiny little hatred for her former Team 7 because they always neglected her.

But one thing no one knew was that Tenten felt a huge hatred towards Sakura.

Back to her genin days, the weapons mistress was Team Gai's sweetheart. She was Lee's best friend and confidant, Tsunade-sama's apprentice-to-be, Konoha's best ranged weapons user, Gai-sensei's jewel of youth and the closest person to Neji.

But then that pink-haired fan girl appeared in her life. When Tenten first looked at the girl, she only pitied her. That weakling who only had eyes for the Uchiha would never be someone important. But still she managed to steal Lee from her. Her dear teammate and friend wouldn't stop blabbering about his youthful cherry blossom, and because of that he didn't pay attention to Tenten anymore. She was upset, of course, but truly wished for him to be happy. The sad thing was, the pink-haired idiot – Sakura – would never make him happy, and Tenten knew that.

Not too long after that, Tsunade-sama finally got back to Konoha and became their Godaime Hokage! Tenten was so busy with one mission after another (Gai-sensei was always trying to surpass Kakashi) that it took her some months to finally be able to talk to her idol and role model.

"Tsunade-sama, I have something to ask you."

"Please, Tenten, go ahead."

"First of all, I want you to know that you are my role model and idol. You are the strongest person I've ever met, and I always dreamed of being like you. Would you accept me as your apprentice?" she asked with eyes full of hope.

"I'm flattered to know that, girl. But unfortunately I will have to turn you down. Life as Hokage is way too busy, and I already have an apprentice. So I wouldn't be able to properly mentor you. I hope you understand."

"Of course, Hokage-sama. May I ask you who your apprentice is?" she could barely hide her disappointment. Her greatest dream was running away from her hands like thin sand flowing through her fingers.

"Haruno Sakura. I think you've met her."

Tenten had to do her best to hold the irate scream that urged to come out of her throat.

When she was 18, there was a huge bow and arrow competition. People from all friend nations went to Suna, as Gaara was hosting the competition. Tenten was confident; she could hit bull's-eye 100 out of 100 times. She made it to the finals quite easily, not even breaking a 

sweat. But when she looked to her final opponent, she saw a familiar pink head. 'WHAT IS SHE DOING HERE??' she thought, and all her concentration was gone. Her first shot missed the target by some feet. Sakura's first shot hit bull's-eye. The weapons mistress took a deep breath. She was more than excellent with any ranged weapons; she could do better than that. Better than _her_. Her second shot hit the very center of the target; Sakura's second shot hit half an inch beside her first arrow. Tenten's last shot was perfect – the arrow split the other in two. Sakura's last shot missed bull's-eye, but still hit a high value area. And then the medic was declared champion.

Whenever Tenten needed to get medical treatment, she would do the impossible to be healed by anyone other than Sakura. She had a feeling that the medic was taking away all the things that were most precious to the brunette. One day, though, she had the confirmation for her suspicions. She was walking out of the hospital when she accidentally eaves-dropped a conversation inside a room.

"Gai-sensei, are you feeling better?" ugh, that oh-so-sweet voice, it could only belong to one person.

"Yes, Sakura, thank you! Your healing powers are amazing! You're truly a jewel of youth!" her heart clenched.

So that little vixen stole almost everything from her. First, it was Lee. Then, Tsunade-sama. As if it wasn't enough, she stole her title. And even Gai-sensei's special praise, which she thought it was only for her! But she had one special thing and it would never be stolen from her. Sakura would never put her claws on the man Tenten loved.

The day she saw Neji walking hand in hand with no one other than the pink-haired bitch was the day Tenten, in a fury outburst, gave up her hitai-ate and started a hermit life in the mountains near the border with Kusagakure. Only to find out that, years later, one _Hyuuga_ Sakura chose those mountains to build a cottage for her vacations with her husband Neji and their four children.

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**A/N:** I'm sorry, Tenten fans! I have nothing against her, really, but this idea wouldn't leave my mind.


	9. Society

**#20 – Society**

Hinata liked Naruto,

who rivaled Sasuke,

who despised Ino,

who patronized Shikamaru,

who allegedly dated Temari,

who beat the crap out of Tenten,

who admired Tsunade,

who cured Lee,

who worshipped Sakura,

who was heartbroken.

Hinata became clan leader, Naruto opened a ramen kiosk, Sasuke never came back to Konoha, Ino got anorexia, Shikamaru was promoted to jounin, Temari was actually a man, Tenten moved to a civilian village, Tsunade never quit drinking, Lee had his own genin team and Sakura married Neji, who had nothing to do with this story.

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**A/N:** Sorry about Temari; I actually like her :-) This is based on a poem by Carlos Drummond de Andrade (Brazilian writer).


	10. Phobia

**#93 – Phobia**

"Ano sa... Neji-teme, Sakura-chan is taking too long, don't you think?" Neji looked at the blue-eyed idiot in front of him and shrugged.

"Just let her be, Naruto. She almost spent all her chakra healing you. Besides, this mission was far too easy; we have some free time before we return to Konoha."

"But…" the blonde raised his eyebrows for a dramatic effect. "This river has lots of giant bloodsuckers! What if she gets attacked by them? I heard that one can't survive a massive attack of those parasites."

"Is that so?" Neji asked suspiciously. "I'll just check it with my Byakugan."

"Are you out of your mind?" Naruto hissed. "If Sakura-chan finds out that you were spying on her while she was taking a bath, she will torture you so much that death will sound as pleasant as a holiday at the beach."

"Hn. Well, if that's the case, all you have to do is warn her about the bloodsuckers." The white-eyed man said matter-of-factedly.

"You're right, but Sakura-chan doesn't believe me anymore. I always made jokes about imaginary parasites and she always bought them. Now that it's a serious thing…" the blonde trailed off, making the most worried face. Neji sighed.

"All right. I'll warn her." He never saw the glint of mischievousness in Naruto's eyes.

"Hey, Sakura!" Neji shouted.

"I'm almost done, Neji-san!" she answered with her girly voice.

"Ok. Just be careful about the giant bloodsuckers. There are lots of them in the river."

" Oh, thank y- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!" the poor pink-haired medic literally flew out of the water. In a millisecond, she was between Naruto and Neji, running like a headless chicken, screaming "get them out of me! get them out!".

Then Sakura suddenly stopped. Naruto was rolling on the ground, laughing his head off. Neji was beet red and looking away from her. She looked at herself; she was stark naked!

"NA-RU-TO!" Sakura was fuming. She gathered chakra in her right hand, ready to kill the Kyuubi vessel, when she felt something cold and slicky in her calf. Naruto laughed even harder. She lowered her head to see what was going on… "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! A BLOODSU-" she couldn't finish, for she passed out on the ground.

"Are you happy now, you idiot?" Neji growled, while he approached Sakura, trying his best not to stare at her naked form. He covered her with one of his white loose shirts and gently hit a tenketsu on her forehead, trying to wake her up. She didn't. "She's in shock! Naruto, you realize that you'll be a dead guy as soon as you enter the gates, right?" he bent down and carefully picked her up bridal style, immediately running towards Konoha.

He was so mad that he didn't notice Sakura winking at Naruto, while he gave her his trademark grin.


	11. Chocolate

**#85 – Chocolate**

Valentine's Day. Konoha's tradition says that the girls are supposed to give the boys chocolate – either bonbons, cakes, brownies…, anything chocolaty. There are two kinds of chocolate a girl can give: giri-choko and honmei-choko. Giri-choko is the kind of chocolate a girl gives out of obligation – e.g., to a teacher, work colleagues or someone who did her a favor. Honmei-choko is the one that says a girl is romantically interested on a boy. One month later, at White Day, the boys should give back white chocolate to the girls whom they got chocolates from, regardless of the kind of chocolate they got.

If you follow the tradition, that is.

Every year, a certain Hyuuga Neji received tons of honmei-choko from his fan girls. Not that he liked it, I must say. Every time a girl gave him chocolate personally, he would politely deny it. But, sometimes, he would find chocolate inside his locker at ANBU quarters ('wasn't this a secure place?' he asked himself every time it happened); since he couldn't give them back, the white-eyed man always gave them to his cousin Hanabi. Needless to say, Neji never gave white chocolate back to his hopeless fan club. He didn't even dare touching the poor sweets, afraid that they could have some weird mind-twisting jutsu, or maybe trying not to raise the girls' hopes.

That year, it wasn't different. He turned down almost ten girls, and it wasn't lunch time yet! He was trying his best not to kill those nuisances with high-pitched voices, squealing 'Neji-kun, please take my chocolate!' all day long. But he was close to lose his self-control…

"Hey, Neji-san, I-"

As he heard that sing-song voice behind him, his blood boiled inside his veins. He slowly turned around, with the most ferocious face he could make (aka killer mode on). That fan girl would pay for all the annoyance he had to endure so far.

"Ooooh, so the big mean white-eyed man thinks he can scare me with that face?"

Huh? Neji shook his head slightly and saw a pair of green eyes staring at him amusedly. He blinked twice. "Sakura? What do you want?" he said in a much softer tone, yet a bit dry. At least he was safe, for he knew that the medic-nin wasn't a fan girl of his.

"Here" she handed him a thing wrapped in cellophane, smiling widely.

He widened his eyes. 'Could it be…?' That would be awkward. No matter how good of a company Sakura was, Neji never thought of her as a _woman_. Sure, she was cute, strong, smart, and never showed interest towards any men for years now – all of them being turn on's. Sometimes he heard other men talking about her; she was considered as some kind of unreachable goddess, and they said that the one she would eventually choose would be one of the luckiest men alive. 'Could it be that she chose me, over all men in the world?' He looked at the petite woman in front of him. Why would she do that? Did he deserve the exclusive attention of such a unique woman?

"Neji-san?" Sakura snapped her fingers in front of his face. That seemed to wake him up from his day dream. He looked down, suddenly very shy. "Don't panic. This is not honmei-choko, you baka!"

He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Then it is…" he trailed off, in a somewhat disappointed tone. Male pride…

"No. It's not giri-choko either. This year, I decided to bake a huge batch of chocolate muffins and give them to all of my male friends. For free! It means that you don't have to give me white chocolate next month. And don't worry; my muffins are healthy and, dare I say, so delicious!" she practically shoved the package into his hands, her lips curved in a beautiful smile. "Happy Valentine's Day, Neji-san! I have to go now. Bye!" Sakura turned around and left. But five seconds later, she looked at him again and winked charmingly. "I hope you like them!" with that, she left. He could only hear her voice in a faint 'Chouji! Come here!' from afar, and sighed deeply.

Neji then looked at the package in his hands. It contained three huge chocolate muffins, and they looked so yummy… Their chocolaty smell was sooooooo tempting… His fingers moved on their own, trying to untie the ribbon that kept him away from those highly appealing delicacies.

But even better than the muffins was the warm hug he got from her when, one month later, he appeared on her doorstep with a box full of white chocolates.


	12. Closure

**#29 – Closure**

In the dead of the night, a dark cloaked figure stood in the old Team Seven's training grounds. The moon was up in its full glory, kindly bathing the earth with its blue-silvery glow. The light was enough to illuminate the woods and allow a quasi-normal vision, but the person standing there needed no light to sense another cloaked figure approaching quickly.

"So, you came" a female voice was heard; she was the one waiting.

"Of course I came. Didn't I tell you that I would always come when you needed me?" a male voice answered; he was the one who came to her.

"Yes, you did. Thank you for making it in almost no time." He couldn't see, but from her voice he got that she was smiling.

"Now, tell me why you need me for. At first I got a bit worried, but from your message I got it wasn't anything disastrous. Am I right?"

She chuckled. "Ah. Sometimes I forget how well you know me."

He walked towards her and stopped merely a foot from her body. She was so small compared to him, and yet her presence was bigger than his own. It engulfed him and made him feel good, relaxed. He lifted a hand and tenderly caressed her cheek, making her hood slide down her hair, which looked grayish because of the moonlight. "Blame it on our clandestine situation, Sakura." In a smooth move, he claimed her mouth with his, and soon lips, tongues and bodies melted together in a slow and sensual kiss. Both of them knew very well what always happened after they kissed like that – but that night it wouldn't happen. Reluctantly, he ended the kiss and looked deep into her eyes. "Sorry. I know it wasn't what you called me for."

"It's ok" she said softly, stroking his dark tresses with her hand, while the other was wrapped around his neck. "I needed this kiss. I had to be sure of something…" she sighed, but her eyes never left his. She knew she could tell him _anything_. "I needed to be sure of how I feel about you, and how you feel about me."

"My feelings for you haven't changed. I would still die for you without a second thought, but you know I don't love you in a romantic way. Just like I know you don't love me in a romantic way, too."

"Yeah, I know that. But why do we always end up like that? Every time we meet in private, we can't get our hands out of each other. If there's no romantic love, how is it even possible?"

"What can I say? The chemistry between us is strong, and we always knew that. Why not surrender? It is always excruciatingly good, anyway…" he whispered in a sexy tone.

Her body was quickly heating up at the close contact with him; he had this effect on her, and she knew – and felt – that she had the same effect on him. "But… What if I said that this time must be the last?"

At first he flinched, but relaxed again. "Well, then we should make this time memorable." He pulled her for another heated kiss, his hands making her cloak go away while her hands did the same thing to him.

That time was memorable indeed. The best they ever had.

"Aren't you angry?" she quietly asked, as soon as her brain started working again.

He nuzzled her neck, pulling her naked body closer to his. "Angry? Of course not. I won't say I won't miss our encounters, but we both knew that this day would come sooner or later."

They stayed in a comfortable silence for a while, enjoying each other's presence. He was the one who spoke first. "So, you got the closure you needed?"

She looked at him with wide eyes, and then she smirked. "I can't keep anything from you, ne?"

"Not even if you wanted. Tell me, who is the lucky bastard?"

"Someone you wouldn't like, but would probably approve."

"Does he know about us?"

"Yes. And I told him that I needed to sort things out with you before we could get into an actual relationship."

"And he agreed?"

"He had no choice. I told him that, unless I had this closure, we couldn't be together." Said that, she sat up and started putting her clothes back. He did the same.

"Hn. The man must really love you, then. If I were in his place, I would kill me right away." They laughed lightly. "I should let you go now. And remember: whenever you need me, send me a message and I will do the impossible to be with you. Ok?" he got up and offered his hand to help her getting up.

"Ok. Thank you for always being there for me." She was ready to leave, when his strong arms trapped her in a tight hug.

"Sakura… I truly hope he will make you happy. I'm sorry I couldn't make you happy the way you wanted me to…" she silenced him with her finger.

"Baka. You made me happy the way you could, and it's all that matters." They shared one last passionate kiss before he let go of her.

"Well, I guess this is it, then. Good bye, Sakura."

"Farewell… Sasuke."

* * *

**A/N:** Lately I'm in an 'I don't hate Sasuke' mood. I hope you don't hate me for that! And, just in case you're wondering, the one waiting for her is Neji. One last thing: I think that this chapter makes it kinda implausible for all the stories to be from the same time line.


	13. Admit

**#73 – Admit**

Some people took very long to openly admit their feelings towards that special person – for example, Asuma and Kurenai needed nearly five years before they could be honest about their feelings for each other (and, years later, she regretted taking that long; if only she knew what would happen…). Some people took too long to admit their feelings that, when they did, whatever chance they had had been long gone – just like Ino; when she finally swallowed her pride and confessed how she felt about Shikamaru, he wasn't in love with her anymore. There were those few courageous people who were able to admit their feelings as if it was the easiest thing in the world – this is how Kiba won Hinata's heart. And there were those who would never admit having feelings for any other person – their leader being the brooding Sasuke, whose sentiments were a well kept secret for his entire life.

Of course, we were talking about regular people in regular relationships. But, given that anything related to Neji and Sakura was very far from regular, it is only natural that the way they admitted their unconditional love for each other was, for the lack of a better word, unique.

They were at least ten miles away from Konoha, but their voices could be faintly heard. If someone was to bet, not even the Godaime would have lost that one – they were obviously bickering. It was probably over something silly, but everyone knew how heated their arguments could be. As they were quickly approaching the gates, some of the words could be identified. As expected, they were throwing unmentionable insults at each other; words so low that would make a street gangster blush in shame. At least they weren't trying to actually kill each other – yet.

By the time they reached the Hokage's office – they still needed to report on their mission – they were not screaming anymore. Tsunade, suffering her usual hangover, silently thanked for that. Her poor sensitive ears would suffer permanent damage if those two kept venting their sexual frustration as if everyone else was deaf.

"Very well," the blonde woman started, "how did the mission go?"

"Oh, it went pretty fine" Neji started "but _someone_ just couldn't hold back her shopaholic instincts and made a huge detour only to spend a fortune in useless things, which cost us three days and a _funny_ meeting with a group of missing nins."

"Cut the crap, white-eyes! Or do you think I don't know you went to that onsen and spent the day surrounded by towel-clad fan girls?"

He smirked at her. "Aren't we jealous, _Sa-ku-ra_?" he said in a cocky tone.

"You wish, _Ne-ji_" she copied his tone, raising a defiant eyebrow. "I wasn't the one giving the dirty eye to the clothes I bought and wore. Who's the jealous one now, huh?"

"Oh please, it was just outraging walking beside a woman clad in those ridiculous outfits. I have a reputation to keep."

"Right. And I'm the queen of Otogakure. Really, Neji, you should-"

"STOP IT!" the Hokage said, rubbing her temples and trying to keep her head from having the migraine of a lifetime. "You should sort things out in private; the village has nothing to do with your lovers' bickering. Sheesh, you two act like a married couple!"

Neji looked at Sakura, who looked back, and then stared into Tsunade's hazel eyes. "Then marry us. Right here, right now."

The older woman widened her eyes. "E-excuse me?"

"You heard it right, shishou. You're not the first one to say we're like a married couple, so why not make it official? It's not like the whole village is unaware of our feelings for each other, anyway."

"So, Haruno Sakura and Hyuuga Neji, do you finally admit your love for each other? It was about damn time… I thought you'd be oblivious forever."

"I beg to differ, Hokage-sama. I noticed Sakura's feelings a long time ago." Neji deadpanned.

"Same here" Sakura added, as if she was talking about a trivial thing.

Tsunade was speechless. "Uh… well… You are both dismissed. Report on the mission tomorrow. And later we can discuss this wedding thing."

As soon as they were out of hearing range, the pair let go the laughter they were barely holding back.

"Did you see the look in her face? We should have got that on camera" Sakura said in between her laughs.

"I never thought it would be that easy to get away from a boring mission report. We're good at this, Sakura."

"That we are!" she said with a bright smile. "Anyway, when are we telling her that it was all a joke?"

He stopped laughing, but still smiling, and looked deep into her eyes. "Sakura, we meant every word we said and we both know it. So let's stop acting as if nothing is happening between us, ok?"

Her smile grew even wider. "Then I give you my permission to treat me to dinner tonight. But I'm picky, so I won't accept anything less than the fanciest restaurant, got it?"

"I should have known better than to get involved with such a tricky woman." He said and barely avoided the chakra-enhanced punch aimed to his face.


	14. Polaroid

**#54 – Polaroid**

Neji sighed. He still wasn't used to all the free time he had in his hands. Sakura was at the Academy teaching some healing jutsus to the new ANBU members, their eldest son Hiroshi being one of them. Their daughter Hitomi was out on a mission, and their youngest son Hideki was on guard duty. The house was empty and he was bored.

"How did Sakura get to convince me to retire from work?" he asked no one in particular, and looked at the clock. He would still have a few hours to do nothing. He thought about reading a book, but he had already read everything in their library – he was a bookworm only rivaled by his wife. He thought about gardening, but he knew his back would kill him. "Agh, getting old sucks." It was when he remembered that, long ago, he promised Sakura he would organize their polaroids. "Maybe it's a good time to start. Bah, I _am_ getting old; I'm talking to myself now."

They had a storage room in the back of their house. Neji assumed it was the most probable place where he could find the old polaroids box. He opened the door, trying not to inhale too much dust. That place was more cramped than he remembered. Luckily his bloodline limit was still as good as ever. "Byakugan!" Soon enough, he found the box he was looking for; it was hidden among old silverware he didn't remember they had, and if it wasn't for his eyes, he would have never found the polaroids.

Since it was a pleasant mid-spring morning, he went to the veranda facing their backyard. The retired ANBU captain sat down in a comfy chair and opened the box. What would he find inside it? His fingers rummaged through the photos, the newest of them being at least 15 years old. The most recent he found was a polaroid from Hideki's first birthday party. He looked at his family and then at their friends, trying to suppress the thought that some of them weren't there anymore. The next picture he saw portrayed a pregnant Sakura playing with Hiroshi. As the polaroids got older and older, Neji noticed the colors were weaker and weaker, until their photos from their teenage years were only a yellowish blur. But one of those caught his eye. The colors were perfect, as if the picture had been taken earlier that day. He picked it up – it was him and Sakura, smiling and looking at each other tenderly. He remembered that day; they were spending a few pleasant days in the mountains. The caption, written by Sakura, was simple and direct: _Neji and I in the mountains_. But it wasn't enough to describe the moment depicted in colors in that tiny piece of paper. Smiling fondly at the memory, he grabbed a pen and added a few comments of his own.

Later that day, Sakura entered their house, knowing that she wouldn't found any of her family there. Hiroshi was at the ANBU quarters, Hitomi was on a mission, Hideki was on guard duty and Neji went out to visit his uncle Hiashi, as he did every day. After a long and refreshing shower, she went to their bed, planning on reading some scrolls Shizune gave her earlier. But there was something over her pillow. It was a red rose and a picture underneath it. She grabbed her glasses and looked at the polaroid, and a smile quickly found its way to her lips.

Under the picture, miraculously colored despite all the years it went through, she read in her husband's charming handwriting:

_It was the first time I said I love you (and I still mean it)_

* * *

**A/N:** You can see the aforementioned polaroid at h t t p : / / n a n b e i n o h a n a . d e v i a n t a r t . c o m / a r t / P o l a r o i d - 8 8 4 8 9 4 9 2 (minus the spaces).


	15. Innocence

**#43 – Innocence**

"I have a mission for you guys. We believe that some Akatsuki minions are hidden in our country. You have to look for any evidence of them. Do not engage in combat; it's only a survey mission. Understood?" Tsunade set her hazel eyes on the team in front of her.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Four young voices answered the blonde Hokage.

"Neji, because you were just promoted to chuunin, you'll be the leader. You should leave tomorrow morning. All the necessary info is in these files." She handed one to each of the teens. "You are dismissed."

They met at 5 a.m. in the main gate. Neji looked at his team – Sakura, Kiba and Chouji – and, seeing everyone ready to go, signaled them to leave Konoha. As they jumped the branches, he gave them his instructions. "Kiba and Akamaru, you go first. Use your noses as radar. Chouji and Sakura, you go side by side. I will be on rear, because I can see behind my back. If we get attacked, Sakura and Chouji will be in the flanks – we need your strength, and Kiba and I will be between you two. But, if our informants are right, we won't have any problems."

Indeed, for five days, the mission went on very well. They found some evidence here and there, until Neji decided they gathered information enough. "Time to go home" he said, much to everyone's joy.

Of course, good things do not last long. They were attacked by the minions they were tracking. In no time, the team got into the fighting configuration: Kiba jumped beside Chouji, and Neji jumped beside Sakura. The fight itself was a blur; they were moving too fast, both the nins and the criminals. But all of a sudden one of the Akatsuki minions let out a smoke bomb. Or so it seemed. Sakura soon noticed it wasn't a normal smoke bomb. "Run! It's a poisonous smoke!"

The team split. Neji saw Sakura on his heels, so Kiba and Chouji should be together, too. It was a basic splitting tactic: two-man cells going on opposite directions, when the enemies weren't that dangerous or numerous. After some time, Neji scanned the surroundings and saw no one. "Ok, Sakura, we lost them. We should get back to Konoha and regroup there."

"Hai, taichou. From where we are, I think it will take two more days for us to get back. As soon as it gets dark, we set camp; I'm exhausted!" Sakura said, wiping some sweat from her forehead.

"I saw your chakra system, and I think we should rest for now. You're the medic here; your chakra reserves need to be at safe levels."

"Thank you, Neji-san" she said in a grateful smile. "Let's set our tents and traps up." The girl grabbed her small tent from her backpack, while Neji searched for his.

"Uh… My tent is not here. It must have fallen while we were fighting. At least it's not cold these days."

"Oh, no. You need to rest, too! I know you're strong, but you're not invincible. We can share the tent, at least for tonight."

He opened his mouth to argue, but it was clear that she was right. Neji silently nodded, and set up the tent for her – it was the least he could do. After a quick dinner, they both fell instantly asleep inside that narrow tent. Of course, it was impossible not to touch each other's body, but it didn't mean anything to neither of them.

Sakura woke up first and nudged Neji. "Wake up, taichou. Time to go." He opened his eyes and nodded; they left the tent and in less than thirty minutes they were on their way back. Neither of them spoke, but the silence wasn't awkward. The events of the night before didn't affect them; they were too focused in getting back to Konoha. Besides that, Sakura still thought about Sasuke and Neji still thought about himself, so none of them saw the other as a person from the opposite sex, only as a fellow shinobi.

Two days later they were home. After regrouping with Kiba and Chouji, they went to the Hokage tower in order to make their report and deliver the gathered information. Soon everyone was back to their routines. Until one day, when Neji found himself waiting in front of the Haruno household.

"Yes?" a pink-haired, blue-eyed woman, who could only be Sakura's mother, answered the door.

"Good afternoon, Haruno-san. My name is Neji, nice to meet you. Can I talk to Sakura, please?" he said in his polite way.

"Yes, of course." The woman turned her head to the stairs. "Sakura! You have a visit!"

The girl didn't take long to come down. When she saw who her visitor was, she raised a thin pink eyebrow. "Neji-san? What is it?"

"We need to talk. Let's have some tea; you're my guest."

She shrugged. "Ok. Mom, I'll go out for a while!"

Needless to say, Sakura was getting more and more curious about what Neji could possibly have to talk to her. In less than ten minutes they arrived to a small and secluded tea house. They sat down on a private table; he ordered green tea, and she ordered jasmine tea.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, but I don't want this matter to be public, at least for now." He said, sipping his tea.

"Don't be so secretive, Neji-san. Go ahead and spill it; you're getting me worried!"

"Right." He sighed; Sakura noticed that he was a little uncomfortable. "Well," he placed a reassuring hand on her forearm, "I want you to know that I won't let you be alone on this."

"Huh?" now she was really clueless.

"You heard me. Don't worry; we can be married before your stomach gets too visible."

She choked violently on her tea. "WHAT? Are you saying that I'm fat? And what's that marriage talk?"

He sighed again. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but he expected her to be more cooperative. "You know, my clan is traditional. You can't carry a Hyuuga child without being legally a member of the clan."

"And what do I have to do with that?" she was trying her best not to scream and make an unnecessary scene.

"Because you're pregnant with my child." Neji said as if it was the most obvious thing ever. At least he was smart enough to swallow the 'duh' that almost followed his sentence.

Sakura looked at him and couldn't decide if she would punch the boy or laugh at him. "Neji-san, please tell me how in the world you got me pregnant."

The Hyuuga prodigy blushed lightly. "You're a medic; you should know it better than me."

"No, I'm serious! As a medic, I'm truly interested in hearing what possible explanation you'll give me."

"Well, remember our last mission?" she motioned him to go on. "We slept together; our bodies were touching and we used no protection. This is how women get pregnant, right? Sleeping with a man without protection. My father taught me that. I don't believe we were so careless… Anyway, it means you're pregnant, and I'm here telling you that I won't abandon you and our child on this."

Her jade eyes were wide and her mouth was slightly open. She almost laughed at him, but she remembered he grew up without parents. His notions of sex and human reproduction were the ones from a five-year-old child. Making fun of him wasn't the right thing to do. "Neji-san… would you hate me if I told you that your father wasn't exactly right?"

"What do you mean? Are you saying that my father was wrong" his white eyes looked at her suspiciously. His father was a delicate subject for him.

"No, it's not what I meant. That information is not wrong, it's just incomplete."

"Oh? Will you please enlighten me, then?"

"Of course. First, I'm not pregnant. And yes, I'm positive about it. You see, men and women have different bodies, right? These differences are there for a reason." Sakura took almost an hour to explain everything to Neji; he wanted to know every little detail: anatomic, physiologic, behavioral… His innocence was rather cute.

"Ew." He said at last. "It's kinda gross, if you think of it. I can't believe my parents had to do such… things… to have me. I don't think I'll ever have kids."

She giggled. 'Wait one or two more years, and I bet the hormones will make you change your mind' she thought.

"Well, Sakura, thanks for the informative lecture, and I'm sorry for the trouble. You didn't make fun of me, and I appreciate it."

"Anytime, Neji-san. If you ever have questions about physical issues, you can talk to me, ok? I'm a medic, after all."

Sure enough, as the years passed by Sakura was the only one Neji trusted enough to ask personal questions. And, boy, he did have lots of questions! And his colleague, then friend, then good friend, then girlfriend, then life-long wife always answered all of them patiently.


	16. Birthday

**#59 – Birthday**

Neji opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, sitting up on his bed. He sighed deeply; would anyone remember what that day meant? Not that it would make any difference. After all, he was stuck in the hospital for who knows how long, and everyone should be busy. Not that he was wallowing in self-pity; in fact, he expected everyone to be busy. They were shinobi, and shinobi should worry about crucial matters like saving the world from S-class criminals. Still, it would be nice if someone-

"Ohayo, Neji-san!" he heard a female sing-song voice, and suddenly the room was filled by her golden presence. Sure enough, she had nothing golden in her. Her eyes were green, her hair was pink and her skin was pale. Still, Neji always felt like her presence had the color of liquid gold. Figures. He noticed she was carrying his breakfast.

"Ohayo, Sakura." He inhaled and looked at the tray with curiosity. "Do I smell hazelnut cookies or is it just my imagination?"

She smiled brightly and he inwardly welcomed it. Sakura wasn't a particularly pretty woman, like Ino, Hinata or Tsunade, but there was something about her smile that made her unique. When she smiled, it seemed that she did it with all her heart, and it was contagious; Neji caught himself smiling back at his good friend. "No, your mind is not playing tricks at you. I just baked these; eat them while they're warm!"

The medic motioned him to move and he did so, giving her space to sit down beside him on his bed. She put the tray on his bedside table and grabbed the cookie plate. "Thank you, then. You know how much I like your pastries." And it was true. Sakura would have been a very good pâtissière if she didn't love her current job as a medic-nin as much as she did. Still, sometimes she delighted her friends with her delicacies.

"I know. It was the best thing I could do to make it up to you." He gave her a confused look while she put a bite-size cookie on his mouth. "You're such a good patient, Neji-san. You never whine or complain; you do everything as I say and you don't try to run away from here. The least I should do was making you healthy enough to go home sooner, but it's beyond my abilities. I can't make miracles, and I would never discharge you in your current condition. You can't walk steadily, and your arms aren't good enough for even feeding yourself."

"Not that I'm complaining about that" he said with a mock-smug face. "Every day I'm pampered by girls, and right now the nicest of them is feeding me with her delicious cookies. What else could I ask for?"

They laughed. "I'm glad you're happy, then. By the way, happy birthday!" Neji widened his white eyes and Sakura chuckled lightly, putting the plate back on the tray. "My my, you thought I would forget it, didn't you? But I never forget my friends' birthdays." She raised her hand and lightly pinched his cheek, as if she was talking to a child. "And it wouldn't be different with you, Hyuuga-ouji-sama" she said, giving him a friendly wink.

"Will you be my Hyuuga-hime-sama then?" he said, slightly leaning into her hand that now cupped his cheek.

Sakura smiled mischievously, joining him in that innocent flirtatious role play. "We have audience" she whispered and he nodded; they both felt the presence of not so few nurses outside the room, peeping through the key hole. "Let's give them a scare." She raised her voice just enough for the nurses to hear her. "I thought you would never ask, _Neji-kun_. Who wouldn't want to be your woman?" She slowly approached her head to his, making some hand seals and whispering again. "Right now, there's a clone of me behind them. Here's the plan: we pretend we're making out, they get too absorbed by the scene and my clone scares the living hell out of them. What do you think?"

"I like it, but there's one thing I want to change." He whispered back.

"Ok, go ahead. I'll follow your lead-"

She was interrupted by a pair of warm lips on hers. The pink-haired woman didn't hesitate in kissing him back: she was half playing along, half enjoying the fiery waves that were numbing her senses. She didn't love him, she didn't have a crush on him, and she wasn't romantically interested on him. But those weren't reasons for not enjoying that kiss.

The same could be said about Neji. He liked Sakura only as a friend, and he was pretty sure she felt the same way about him. But a few seconds ago, when she had been that close to him, whispering almost on his lips, he felt an urge to kiss her. It was a normal and understandable reaction, and since she didn't seem to dislike or disapprove it, he let his instincts take control. He wanted to pull her closer to him, but his arms felt like lead and he couldn't raise them. She seemed to have noticed that, because her arms quickly found their way around his neck, closing the almost inexistent space between them. The Hyuuga prodigy couldn't hold back a low moan when she assertively deepened the kiss – who was he to fight it?

The clone did her job and gave the inconvenient nurses the scare of a lifetime. But the pair barely heard the desperate screams – they were too preoccupied with much more pleasant activities. Neji took the control back and slowed the kiss down, making his lips and tongue worship hers in a tender yet passionate way. Sakura, in response, disentangled her right hand from his soft hair and started to slowly caress his cheek, jaw line and neck.

When the kiss ended, they looked deep into each other's eyes and smiled warmly, enjoying the comfortable silence between them and waiting for their breaths to be normal again. After a while, Sakura was the one who spoke first.

"That was… intense."

He nodded. "Sorry for not asking for your permission before. It's just that you were so close… I couldn't resist."

"Do you see me complaining? Then don't be sorry. And I liked it, a lot." She laid her head on his chest, deeply inhaling his warm masculine scent. "But does it change anything between us?"

He didn't answer immediately, for he didn't know the answer as well. Would it change anything between them? Could they make their friendship evolve to something more 

romantic? Could they afford to risk their friendship? "I don't know. I mean, we kissed, and it was intense, as you said, but it doesn't necessarily mean we do or will love each other. Besides, I don't want any of us to be heartbroken, especially you. Unless you're willing to try…"

She blinked a few times, thinking about it. "You know what? Why not? We're both single, we get along with each other and we surely have chemistry between us. Let's have a one week trial period. If things don't work out, then we'll be friends again. If things go well…"

"But it'll be a crappy week, Sakura. I'm stuck here and I don't want to be a vegetable-like boyfriend. You deserve to be treated nicely."

"Ok then. How about a month? You'll be out of here sooner than that, I promise."

"A month it is." He bent down and kissed the top of her head. "Now get up, you have work to do."

"No, I don't. It's my day off!" she sat back and smiled at him. "I have no plans, so I think I'll be here, personally taking care of you."

"Really? Lucky me, because I think there's something wrong with my lips. It's like they're missing something…"

She laughed lightly and complied with his implied wish.

That was the first of the more than sixty birthdays he spent with her.

* * *

**A/N:** Happy birthday, Neji!! I agree with Jeje-chan: NejiSaku is love! Join her club on DeviantArt.

Ouji means prince, and hime means princess.


	17. Signature

A/N: Hiiii everyone! I know it's been forever, but I had lost my will to write fics. Now my will is back :-)

* * *

**#42 - Signature**

"Aaah, that was a long day" Sakura said, while stretching her back and cracking some vertebrae. What seemed like a peaceful day at the hospital turned into a profusion of injured shinobi, and she had double her shift in order to help healing everyone. But now, close to midnight, things seemed to have settled down, so she left the hospital before she fell asleep in her uncomfortable office. Her chakra level was so low that she had no choice but walk home, instead of just teleporting there. Walking turned out to be a good thing, because Konoha was so quiet that she could actually listen to crickets, cicadas, owls and other night animals. She could even see the Moon, shining in a bright crescent, one thing she couldn't do as often as she wanted to. It seemed a totally different town. The pink-haired medic enjoyed her walk and it even helped her feel a little less tired.

As soon as she opened her door, she saw a scroll waiting for her. Even though she was exhausted, curiosity won and she took the scroll, opening it. It showed the ANBU logo, and the text was printed in Konoha's default font.

_Haruno Sakura-san,_

_You have been accepted into ANBU._

_You'll be assigned to a squad at ANBU headquarters. Please report to your squad leader as soon as possible._

She was in shock. How did it happen? She hadn't even applied! But the scroll was there, seemingly legit, and addressed to her. Sakura sat down in her couch and read the scroll more than ten times, before it hit her - it had to be a practical joke! Mentally scolding herself for being that naive, the kunoichi sent her chakra through the scroll, trying to detect any sign of its fake nature. At first, nothing happened, but soon a few characters appeared at the bottom of the message, written by hand and carefully hidden, so only her chakra would be able to reveal it.

_Yes, this is for real. Guess who's your squad leader?_

_Congrats,_

_Neji_

Now the rest of the message was forgotten. Did the almighty Hyuuga Neji signed the supposedly impersonal letter himself and even bothered to conceal it from prying eyes? She couldn't tear her eyes from that masculine handwriting, trying to see any reason why he would waste his time to add a personal note for her humble little self. She came up with a few theories, some of them very imaginative, but in the end decided that he was only welcoming, in his own way, his new teammate.

"This could be interesting" she said out loud to no one in particular, read his signature one more time, took a steaming hot shower, read his signature once again, and went to sleep. If she, of all people, had been _chosen_ to join ANBU, she would make any effort to be worthy of their trust, so she had to rest as much as she could and, in the morning, be there looking strong and deadly. And impress her new captain.

Sakura arrived into the ANBU headquarters early in the morning, anxious to be introduced to her new squad. Only to find out that she had misread the characters in the signature, and a very feminine woman named Nishizen welcomed her to the team.

* * *

**A/N:** Yes, the same kanji sequence can admit more than one meaning and spelling. Specially when it comes to names. E.g.: in Musashi, the main character had the name Takezo, but later a monk changed his name into Musashi. Even though written with the same kanji (Japanese ideograms), the spelling changed.


	18. Pain

**#99 - Pain**

"Seriously, woman, why can't I leave this hospital? Why don't you leave me alone?" A very unpleased Hyuuga Neji was in a very bad mood, confined in one of the hospital's rooms. His latest mission failed monstruously; he failed as a shinobi and as a squad leader, losing two of his three chuunin students. He had been barely alive when someone brought him to her care.

"We already discussed it" she replied coolly, "you're here so we can help you recover and feel better."

"Oh that's a good one. You think you can make me feel better. No one can make me feel better!"

"Neji-san, please calm down!" Sakura said behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down?" He spat, in the most venomous voice he could make, slapping her hand away from him. "You tell me to calm down? I'll tell you what: I'm tired of calming down. I'm tired of having my pain underestimated by everyone. Damn, it hurts every moment; it haunts my sleep; and this fucking pain never ever leaves. So, no, thank you very much, but I'm not calming down." He was so infuriated that he was throwing his feelings out loud.

"Oh, so do you think you're the only one with a pain greater than you can stand? Really? You know nothing, Hyuuga Neji." Now it was her who was getting angry. How could a grown-up man be so egocentric? Everytime, it was always about him. About his traumas, his losses, his way of life.

"Don't you assume you know anything about me!" He was almost shouting now. "I know nothing, you say. Right; I must know nothing indeed. I must be delusional about what happened to me. After all, that Cloud nin never broke into our compound. He never tried to kidnap Hinata. He was never killed by my uncle. And my father was never handed to them in exchange for that bastard's life." Neji was panting heavily from his anger. At the medic's lack of answer, he went on. "Are you happy? CAN YOU SEE MY PAIN NOW? My destiny is all fucked up. I never had the chance to grow up as normal person, within a normal family. No, the opportunity was stolen from me since before I was born. What do you know about pain, anyway? And please don't come with that story about how the traitor left you. No one can stand hearing it anymore. That is not real pain."

After a moment of silence, she softly spoke. "Have you ever heard of a shinobi called Takeo?"

Her calm, low tone got his attention. He expected her to be shouting back at him, or at least apologizing. That soft voice meant she was a tiny little bit away from losing her mind and killing him without a thought. "Don't you change the subj-"

"I said," she interrupted him, speaking a bit harsher this time "have you ever heard of a shinobi called Takeo?"

"No. Why should I have? Why is this of any importance?" he crossed his arms in annoyance.

She slowly walked through the room to face him. He had never seen her eyes like that, with so much pain and hatred and frustration. Her voice was full of those foul emotions. "Once upon a time, two little boys met at the Academy. They soon got very attached to each other, but one of them was far more talented than the other. Still, they remained friends, best friends, even when the stronger one reached jounin level and the weaker one never made it to chuunin. By pure chance, the stronger one belonged to a very powerful shinobi clan, which one day was attacked by the Head Ninja of Kumogakure. After the Raikage demanded the offender's body in exchange for his most prized shinobi life, the stronger of the two best friends offered to take his twin brother's place. The weaker one chased the Kumogakure squad who took his best friend away and attacked them with everything he could. But, being only a genin, he never stood a chance. His-"

He hated those dramatic stories with a moral lesson within. So he interrupted. "Touchy story. But the weak must die; it is their fate, after all, and it can't be avoided."

She ignored his rudeness. "His pieces were scattered all the way from here to Kumogakure. That's why mother and I never had a body to mourn and cremate. You were left with your grudge against your family; we were left with nothing. My mother still doesn't understand how in the world her husband would abandon his family to protect someone who never needed his protection in the first place. Your father died for his family and was successful in protecting you all. My father died for your father and failed miserably. Yet, here I am, trying to carry on, trying to ignore the fact that you Hyuuga people thrive while we had a very fucked up life. THIS is what I know about pain."

Neji was shocked. Never in his life he was told that story. Now he regretted his anger explosion. He tentatively raised his hand towards her. This time, she was the one shooing the hand away.

"I don't need your sympathy or your pity. You can go on wallowing in your own pain, I couldn't care less, but stop boasting it. Serious shit happens everytime to everyone." She turned around and went straight to the door.

"Sakur-"

"Don't. Just... don't." Her final words sounded strange. Sounded like tears.

She left.

* * *

**A/N:** I know he got over his hatred for his family and I know this chapter is somewhat OOC and too angsty for my taste... But I couldn't take this idea out of my mind.


	19. Thoughts

**A/N**:_ Neji's thoughts_; Sakura's thoughts.

* * *

**#67 - Thoughts**

"Sakura! Rush to Room 15. There's an emergency there!"

The pink-haired doctor dropped her mug of coffe and nearly teleported to said room. And she naively thought it would be a nice and calm day... The one one lying in front of her was no one other than Hyuuga Neji, pride of the Hyuuga clan, prized ANBU captain, and soon-to-be-dead fellow shinobi if she took another second to look at his gorgeous face and...

NO! Stop it, Sakura-no-baka! Do your job!

Her hands glowed and her faint green chakra started to heal the man's severe injuries. It was going to take a loooong time...

Luckily he's still unconscious. The pain would be unbearable otherwise...

_Hnnnnnn what the hell with this pain? Where am I? The... hospital? Is it Sakura's chakra?_

Seriously, why does he have to always go beyond his limits? Couldn't he be more careful?

_The Oto camp remnants... It was a trap and I fell straight into it._

Does he have to push his luck everytime? One day, I might not be here.

_I am so lucky she is always here to save me._

But, heh, he's always taking me for granted. Next time, I will deliberately be away when he comes in this state.

_She is so precious. I don't know if I would survive if she's not the one healing me._

On the other hand, it would do no good in letting my genius die. Our genius! Not mine, ours!

_But I know she would never let it happen. She always treated me with so great respect..._

Only if he could see me as a woman, not a medic bound to him by duty...

_Only if she could see me as a man, not a patient bound to her by duty..._

Tch, as if it would ever happen. The only one he thinks about is himself. No way I could be special to him.

_Tch, as if it would ever happen. She thinks about everyone's well being. No way I could be special to her._

I wonder if there is someone... special... in his life.

_There is no one else in the whole world I would allow to get this close to me. I hope she sees it some day._

But I never ever saw him with anyone - any girl, that is. It's a good sign, right?

_What am I thinking? She will not jump into the conclusion that I am waiting for her just because I am single. She's not that naive._

It would be SO good if he was single just waiting for me! Go on, Sakura, dream...

_I should ask her on a date. But what if she says 'no'?_

There is nothing I wouldn't give for him to ask me out...

_She never showed any kind of interest. Better give up and enjoy these little moments when her chakra flows into my body... She feels so mine._

But he would never do that. THE Hyuuga Neji, asking humble little me out? Now let's not be greedy... I will just enjoy these moments when his chakra merges with mine... He feels so mine.

_Awwn, why is she stopping? The pain is gone, but it doesn't mean you have to stop healing me. It really feels so good._

And I'm done here. I could do it all day long if I had the chan... the need! Gah be more professional, Sakura!

_Is she going to leave? This soon?_

"Neji-san?" her soft voice snapped him out of his thoughts and made he open his eyes. "Welcome back to life, Neji-san. How do you feel?"

"Half dead."

She chuckled lightly. "Be more optimistic! I'd say you're half alive, at least. Come on, I did a pretty good job on you."

"I know. You always do."

She blushed ever so slightly at the compliment. He noticed. "Now get some rest. Sleep. If you need anything, just call me."

"I will".

But I can stay, if you want.

_But you can stay, if you want._

None of them said a thing.

He doesn't want me to.

_She doesn't want to._

"See you, then. Bye!"

_Damn._


	20. Alphabet

**#12 - Alphabet**

**A** is for alibi. Tsunade would always cover up for her whenever she wanted to make him a surprise.

**B** is for blue. Her favorite color, and he guessed it right.

**C** is for cold. How cold his heart felt that time he saw her on a date with another man.

**D** is for drama. His favorite movie genre - and he would never admit it.

**E** is for easy. She makes any and every test look so easy. It's not even fair.

**F** is for fear. Fear that, one day, she won't be able to save him.

**G** is for guilt. For not being there when she needed him the most.

**H** is for hush. It's a miracle when they can make their kids stop crying.

**I** is for idiot. She was a complete idiot for not noticing his feelings earlier.

**J** is for jealousy. I'm not jealous of her, of course not. Hitting her date square in the face was a complete accident.

**K** is for kindness. The kindness he showed towards his genin team, no matter how tough and demanding he wanted to be seen.

**L** is for lust. But that's another story.

**M** is for mistake. Like that day when she hugged a tall coffee-haired woman from behind thinking it was him.

**N** is for nothing. Nothing is more important than you.

**O** is for oak. Under the shadow of an oak, he proposed to her.

**P** is for pride. The pride he felt as soon as she started being his.

**Q** is for quackery. A thing you should never accuse her of.

**R** is for ramen. Contrary to popular belief, she never ever enjoyed eating it.

**S** is for secret. Which didn't last long; she quickly figured it out.

**T** is for time. Time runs pretty fast when they're having fun together.

**U** is for unique. The best definition for their relationship.

**V** is for victory. She won his heart. Period.

**W** is for whole. A whole life of happiness was worth every sacrifice, but theirs required none.

**X** is for xylocaine. Using an anesthetic ointment wouldn't make him less of a man. Or so she said.

**Y** is for yield. A thing she never did in her entire life.

**Z** is for zeal. Every little thing she did, she'd do with her whole spirit. Unless it involved leechs.


	21. Pretend

**#08 - Pretend**

He looked at the dark, empty kitchen. It was late in the night. The instant ramen was quickly getting cold in his hand. The only sound he could hear came from a dripping faucet. The one he promised her he would fix, but never did. Not that it was of any importance, now that she was not there anymore. Thinking of it, perhaps he should have fixed it when she asked. Perhaps it would have made her stay a little longer.

But it wouldn't. And he knew it.

He should have seen when it all started to fall apart. It was very subtle, actually, but he _should_ have seen it. They had had a few years of happiness and bliss, and it somehow made him take her (and their relationship) for granted. At some point, he started putting his personal activities as first priorities. If he happened to have some free time, he would spend it by himself, doing things only he enjoyed. Most of them - _all_ of them - didn't include her. Sometimes, she complained about it, but he often dismissed it. His reasons - excuses - were all the same:_ I risk my life all the time, so I need my activities as a distraction_; or _Too bad you don't share my hobbies; if you only liked the things I do, we could spend more time together_; or even _This is how I am; sorry if it's not enough_. One day, she stopped complaining at all. He didn't even notice it. It was a huge surprise when he got back home and found her wardrobe empty. It took some time before realization hit him - he screwed things up big time.

Word quickly spread. Some of his friends, their friends, came by to comfort him. He could see the pity and the accusation in their eyes, as hard as they tried to hide them. It was bad enough that Sakura left him. He didn't need their sympathy or their judgement. He started pretending he was doing well. As time passed by, he still felt alone, but he pretended so much that no one could tell how bad he felt anymore.

A soiled handkerchief laid abandoned on a counter. Its red and white checkered pattern brought him a memory. It was just like the table cloth from one of their favorite restaurants. The one they discovered when their marriage was already deteriorating. He took her there every once in a while and they always had a great time there, but soon it became just a formality. No more free talk, no more laughter; their dinners soon were limited to him talking about his hobbies and she absently nodding without saying a word. Even having the most powerful eyes ever in the Hyuuga clan, he was still unable to see what was going on.

He no longer allowed people inside his - their - house. It became his refuge, his sanctuary, the only place where he could allow himself to feel the pain from their divorce. From his big, huge mess. He never had the heart to take her pictures from the walls. It made him think that she was still there. She wasn't. But he could pretend she was; sometimes, it was almost enough. He pretended she was filling their home with laughter and light and happiness, cooking him some ramen, not really tasty, but full of love. He felt her, needed her beside him as they ate some microwavable meal, making fun at her cooking skills.

He sat on the floor, in silence, as he ate his cold ramen seasoned with salty tears.


	22. Imperfect

**A/N:** Join the resistance! I will never acknowledge chapters 613-615.

* * *

**#77 - Imperfect**

"Again."

"Again?"

"You heard me, woman. I thought you said you'd follow my instructions to the letter."

She sighed in defeat. "...Fine." She made the hand signs one more time. "Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu!"

But what was supposed to be a ferocious fire dragon came out as a tiny harmless salamander.

"GAAAAH! Why can't I make it right?" Sakura yelled, exhasperated.

Deactivating his Byakugan, Neji approached the pink-haired kunoichi. "I really don't know. Your chakra flow is correct. Your hand seals are correct... Maybe it's because Fire is not your element."

She looked at him. "But how come I am able to perform _any_ other fire jutsu? I bet I've been cursed somehow, and the curse prevents me from doing this specific jutsu."

He half snorted, half chuckled. "This is highly unlikely, you know."

"Do you have a better explanation, then?"

"Listen," he hugged her, resting his head atop of hers, "we have to accept the fact that we are imperfect."

This time, she was the one to laugh, hugging him back. "Really? 'We', imperfect? Since when _the_ Hyuuga Neji is anything near imperfect?"

"I can't perform any medical jutsu." He offered.

"Medical jutsus don't count! It would be the same as saying that all of us non-Hyuuga people are imperfect because we don't have Byakugan. Seriously, Neji, you are not imperfect. At all."

After a moment of thought, he sighed. "I can't perform a simple Bunshin no Jutsu to save my life."

Silence.

Silence.

Silence.

"You WHAT?" She let go of him, looking straight into his white eyes. "You've got to be kidding me. Anyone can perform Bunshin no Jutsu!"

"For some unknown reason, I can't. Instead of a clone, a mass of disformed flesh and hair appears. It's creepy!" He shook his head in order to shoo away the mental image of his failed clone attempt. "And, of course, I will personally kill you if you tell this to anyone."

"Baby, you know I won't say a word!" She was mock-offended. "it's just that... Wow. My fiancé is a human being, after all. I was beginning to be suspicious."

He tried to hit her, but she was faster, even when laughing. He couldn't help but smile at her playfulness.

"Ok, koishii, enough rest. Try that jutsu again."

"Again? Oooh, come on!"


	23. Absurd

**#61 - Absurd**

Sakura opened her eyes lazily. Another long day of hard work laid ahead of her. The jounin exam was quickly approaching, and she would have to do more than her best if she ever hoped for a chance of being approved. She closed her eyes again, thinking about her schedule. Taijutsu. Medical jutsus - because, as usual, _someone_ would be greatly injured after a sparring session with her, and she would have no other choice but heal her partner (whoever they would be that day) and/or herself. Lunch break. Genjutsu (her favorite part of the training). Earth jutsus. Dinner break. Jogging. Shower. Bed. She sighed deeply and streched. Her hand touched something warm, which stirred in response. She jumped and held a scream. What in the world was that thing in her bed? She reached her hand for the kunai she always kept under her pillow. It wasn't there. The _thing_ got out from under the covers. It had coffee brown hair, long and silky, rippled muscles, creamy skin, musky scent, and the shape of a very naked Hyuuga Neji.

"What the hell are you doing here? What have you done to me?" Panic hit her brain. A man she barely knew was naked in her bed. Did he... did they...? He could not have stolen her virginity! She was getting red, both from anger and shame, and was fully paralyzed when his white eyes were set on her, full with concern.

"Nightmares again, koishii?" His rich voice filled the air.

"Koishii?" She widened her eyes, but almost lost her voice. "Hyuuga, what is going on here? Have the decency to cover yourself! What do you think you're doing in my room, in my bed-" It was when she noticed a very important thing. It was _not_ her room. Sakura looked frantically at that unkown room, trying to find out where she was. Did he kidnap her for sick purposes? Her eyes suddenly stopped at a picture frame on the nightstand. In the picture, they were together, holding each other lovingly. She grabbed it and looked at him again. "What is this?"

"Is this some kind of practical joke? You know I don't enjoy them. But I have to admit, you're very convincing. Now come here, sexy, I believe we have some unfinished business..." He reached out his arms to hold her. This time, she screamed, letting the picture frame fall on the mattress.

"Stay away from me!" She jumped out of bed. Only to find out that she, too, was naked. Shrieking, she used her hands instinctively to try to hide her body.

"Sakura, what's going on? Have you lost your mind? It's not funny." He crossed his arms and furrowed his brow.

She paid him no attention. "Where is this place? Why are we... eh... naked... together? What's this picture of us?" She pointed at it with her left hand and her heart nearly stopped. "_What is this golden ring in my finger?_ Is this some kind of genjutsu? Yes! Sabotage! For some reason, you (or someone) don't want me to pass the jounin exam. But you can't fool me. No genjutsu can."

"Jounin exam? Are you out of your mind?" He was starting to be amused by her scene.

"Why? His Royal Highness the Almighty Hyuuga Neji doesn't think I can make it?" She spat.

He laughed at the title. "Ok, honey, enough. You passed the jounin exam fifteen years ago. No reason to panic. Now, nice and easy, get out of your dream. Follow my voice. 1. 2. 3. Wake up!" He snapped his fingers.

She blinked.

She blinked.

She blinked.

She panicked.

"F-fifteen? But... but..." She was truly confused.

"Are you all right?" He got up from the bed and approached her. She was so confused that she paid no attention to the fact that they were both naked and dangerously close.

"Hyuuga, seriously. It's not funny. I'm starting to believe I lost my mind. Please. Tell me everything, who planned this prank, what was their intention... I promise I won't kill anyone. I really need to keep my sanity!"

He shrugged. "Woman, I know nothing about any pranks. But I do know that you're acting strange. You seem lost, and I haven't seen you like that since you found out about the traitor's death-"

"WHAT? Sasuke-kun is dead?" She interrupted. "Nonsense! Yesterday, shishou showed me intelligence reports about his current whereabouts!"

"Sakura", Neji put his hands on her shoulders, "it's been ten years since that. Now I'm really worried." He paused for a moment, his narrowed eyes roaming the walls - a sign that he was thinking hard. Then he seemed to realize something. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Well, I know that I should be heading for the training grounds. The jounin exam is getting closer as we speak. It's my first jounin exam, so I'm giving 110%!"

"Your first jounin exam...?" He sighed and motioned her to sit. "I never thought it was possible, but... I think you have some kind of spontaneous amnesia."

"I beg your pardon? Amnesia?"

"Your first jounin exam was 20 years ago, my love."

Her face paled. "It's not possible. That's ridiculous."

"Ridiculous, but true. Look at yourself in the mirror." She turned around as he switched the light on. There she was, naked, pink-haired, athletic... and 20 years older. Her head snapped back at him. Sakura opened her mouth, but words failed her.

He continued. "Well, if it's the case, we have a long catch up to do. Let's get dressed. Soon they will be here." He tossed her a silk robe, which she promptly tied.

Before she could ask, he answered. "Our children. Sakura, we got married eight years ago. We have two lovely 5-year-old boys, Hideki and Hizashi. They-"

"Do they have the seal?" She blurted, and then realized what she said. "Sorry, Hyuuga, didn't mean to be rude..."

Neji smirked. "Hyuuga. It's been a long while since you last called me Hyuuga. But no; they don't have the seal. The seal is actually banished from our clan."

She smiled in response. "Great! Hiashi-sama did the right thing."

"No, it wasn't my uncle. It was me." He inhaled with pride. "I'm the head of the clan."

"That's wonderful! And... um... How in the world did we get close to each other? I mean, I'm assuming our marriage was not an act of duty."

He laughed. "Of course not! Last time I checked, we were still madly in love with each other. It all started when you-"

Sakura sat up in her bed. She was covered in sweat, even though the air was chilly. Breathing heavily, the turned the bedside lamp on. With great relief, she saw familiar walls, full of her stuff. Her room. Letting out a sigh, she laid down again, for it was only 3 in the morning.

"Tch, that was the most absurd dream I've ever had! As if I would ever marry that pompous Hyuuga."

And she forgot about the dream as the jounin exam approached. She had trained really hard for it. She was sure she would pass. But, as soon as she saw _who_ the examiner would be, she lost her focus and failed miserably. She just couldn't shoo away the very _vivid_ image of a naked Hyuuga Neji tangled with her in bed.

Maybe it would not be so absurd, after all.


End file.
